Pam is looking particularly beautiful in 5.3, isn't she? Perhaps it's her new found vulnerability in the face of Eric's continued absence? The 107-year old vampire whose legendary pragmatism has defined her character over the last five years is showing a softer side, but what's really remarkable is how Kristin Bauer van Straten has taken such a nuanced, and therefore realistic, approach to Pam's evolution. It deserves Emmy recognition but I'm not sure anyone but the fans are paying attention at this point. Oh, to be on the Emmy committee....Meanwhile, Pam's progeny, Tara, has regained herself and is refusing to drink human blood. She's furious with Sookie and Lafayette, as she should be. Humans only see their existence through their physicality so believe that maintaining that physicality, at any cost, is "saving" a life. But how can living with constant bloodlust be a life? Tara may evolve into one of the most powerful vampire-characters on the show, and again, it's Rutina Wesley's ability to subtley change things like the tenor of her voice and the gait of her walk that make the newborn character so appealing to the audience. But by the end of the episode,Tara attempts to commit suicide in a tanning bed. All I can say is, that's going to leave a scar....Sam Trammell created one of the best characters on the show in Sam Merlotte, a calculating killer with a conscience who strives to live a better life everyday, yet does so only because of that initial coldness. In case you need a refresher, Merlotte pulled off a major robbery with his best gal who he ended up killing when she betrayed him. He used that money to buy Merlotte's. But the ambiguity isn't really so ambiguous. Who wouldn't do the same in Sam's shoes--abandoned by his family, socially-isolated by his shifter-nature, uneducated, and poor. Opportunities are limited in those circumstances. And as we all know, God only helps those who help themselves. Which is why Trammell is so great at playing Merlotte. As an audience, we sympathize with a man we'd normally find reprehensible. I love that he uses his brains AND his brawn to help himself, and others--like Tara. Debbie Pelt's parents arrive in Bon Temps to find their only daughter after Andy and Jason report Debbie's abandoned car. Oops. And Tara's undead, walking, talking proof of Sookie's murderous act. Of course, even though Sookie claims she didn't have to do it, legally, it was self-defense. Debbie had shot her gun in Sookie's home intent on killing Sookie; she killed the wrong girl, but it's no less heinous. What else was Sookie going to do in the face of that? Risk having Debbie shift into a wolf while Sookie held her at gunpoint, waiting for the police? At that range, the wolf would have won. No, Sookie's desire to kill Debbie was a survival instinct, not premeditated. But burying the body in an attempt to cover the whole mess up is. A crime that Alcide now knows about. Jason comes to grips with being sexually abused by a middle school teacher as a young teen; what Jason had once thought of as a great experience is now understood as the beginning of, and perhaps reason behind, his emotional deficites. What happened with the teacher created an emotional gap Jason could never fill; anyone who's experienced abuse can relate. You can't psychologically live with what happened without taking some responsibility, thereby giving yourself a sense of agency--even though, in reality, you were victimized. It's good to see Ryan Kwanten having the opportunity to show more depth of character, though Jason's laissez-aire attitude and ease of existence was a real pleasure for the audience. Now there is no character on True Blood left untainted. That's sad indeed. The creeping sense of reality in True Blood signals the decline of the series. And that's sad, too.Jessica's the epitome of feminine empowerment and it was a great scene in the togs store where she calls out the passive aggressive behavior of the store-owner...and then, she chases after a fairy like a dog chases a frisbee. *rolling of eyes ensues*Hoyt's pathetic behavior at Fangtasia brings out more of that nuanced Pam we love but Hoyt should stick to being a dumb hick and leave the smoky-eye-look to the pros....Meanwhile, both Bill and Eric take a taste of Salome's sexy appeal; Salome is Roman's "secret weapon." I could tell you what that means, but it would spoil the surprise. And I was fairly surprised by Chris Meloni's performance. His character is 500 years old, and like with Russell Edgington, you'd imagine that after five lifetimes as a predator, things like human morality would wear off. But Meloni takes a less narcisstic approach as Roman Zimojic; where Russell is visceral, Roman is philosophical. Real power isn't in one's physicality, but in the ability to reason. Ah, refreshing. Like a glass of lemonade on a hot day. Or a shot of vodka in your IV. L'chaim! Roman may be the vampire I've been waiting for on what is still THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISON. Stay tuned for more insights next week...until then, take a bite out of TRUE BLOOD & PHILOSOPHY: WE WANNA THINK BAD THINGS WITH YOU available everywhere for your Nook, iPad, Kindle, or favorite tablet/smartphone. Now available on iTunes!

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About the Author

Rebecca Housel, Ph.D., known as "The Pop Culture Professor" (TM), is an international best-selling author and editor in nine languages and 100 countries. Rebecca, listed in the Directory of American Poets & Writers for her work in nonfiction, was nominated by Prevention magazine essayist and best-selling author of The ImmortalLife of HenriettaLacks, Rebecca Skloot, to the National Association of Science Writers for her work on cancer. Rebecca has published with best-selling author of The Accidental Buddhist, Dinty Moore's literary nonfiction journal, Brevity, and with commercial publications like Redbook magazine and online journals like In Media Res. Her recent interviews appear in publications such as the LA Times, Esquire, USA TODAY, The Huffington Post, Inside HigherEd, Woman's World magazine, and Marie Claire as well as on FOX news, and NBC. Former President of the New York College English Association, Housel was a professor in both Atlanta and New York, teaching popular culture, film, creative writing, literature, and medical humanities. Dr. Housel currently works on the Editorial Advisory Boards for the Journal of PopularCulture and the Journal ofAmerican Culture; she has also worked as a reviewer for Syracuse University Press and Thomson Wadsworth. A writer of all genres, Housel has written and published both fiction and nonfiction in over ten books and 398 articles, essays, book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia entries.